1.

a) Give three reasons why users experience retrieval delays when downloading an applet.

[3 marks]

b) Briefly explain how caching can reduce the impact of retrieval delays, mentioned in part a), for the users of interactive systems over the world wide web.

[4 marks]

c) Describe how programmers can exploit asynchronous processes in Java to reduce the impact of retrieval delays over the world wide web.

[5 marks]

d) Give two problems that asynchronous processes can create during interface development using Java. What steps can be taken to address these problems?

[5 marks]

2.

a) What is meant by the terms "perception", "physiology" and "cognition"?

[3 marks]

b) Briefly describe why user interface designers must understand each of these different aspects of human performance.

[7 marks]

c) Hi-stress employers is a company that sells garage doors over the telephone. Their employees ring members of the public and ask them if they want to purchase their products. They have recently placed 300 new staff in a single, open-plan office. Each employee has a conventional telephone handset and PC. They have to take down the customer details while they speak to them on the phone. They use a paper-based manual that helps them to describe the company's products that might be of interest to the customer. In the first week of business, the operations manager noticed an unacceptable amount of errors in the operators' performance. What factors might have contributed to these errors?

[10 marks]

3.

a) Why is consistency important in user interface development?

[3 marks]

b) Briefly contrast the differing approaches to interface consistency that are embodied by the AWT and the Swing approaches to user interface development.

[6 marks]

c) The Johnson Corporation have been asked to generate a requirements document for an interactive application that is being developed by a firm of stockbrokers in the City of London. This will be a new system that is intended to help brokers monitor changes in the value of the Euro against other major currencies over the last six months. Describe the elicitation techniques that you would use to prepare this requirements document and justify your choice. Hint: remember that your task may be complicated by the fact that frequent users of a system often find it hard to describe their everyday activities.

[11 marks]

4.

You have been commissioned by BigBank International to help design the user interface to a new home bankng system. The software is intended to run on a users' PC using a modem and a domestic telephone line. Write a brief report to the manager of your project explaining why they should commit resources to the summative evaluation of this project.

[20 marks]

END